Barbs Vanilla vs BTS

[smitsk00]

So I decided to return to Vanilla, which, honestly, I only ever played for about a week before getting Bts. My plan was to get an EQM emperor win with Saladin because he doesn't suck on Vanilla. I am having a surprisingly hard time with barbs compared to Bts. Do they operate differently in Vanilla?

Also, does anyone have any advice on how to make the map generator stop giving me an isolated start every time I use a fractal map? I am spending so many hammers on fogbusters and fighting barbs that my REX ends up being really slow and I am not getting cottages up or getting any early GS out of my capital and end up being much further behind in tech then I am used to being at Emperor. Having fewer cities at 1AD because I spent hammers on the Pyramids/Oracle is acceptable to me, but this seems like a complete waste of hammers.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Fogbusting should be fine even in isolation (I say this as a LHC regular @ immortal). Units can't spawn within 2 tiles of another unit. Get warriors out there early and the problems go away.

BTS has more barb galleys than 'nilla as of 3.17, but other than that I'm not sure of the differences.

 

[smitsk00]

If that is the case, then I am probably not as good at fogbusting as I thought. Starting in isolation, I can get out Warriors, but they get killed quickly (even on hills/forests) and have to be replaced. Teching to Archery with Saladin is a pain b/c his starting techs dont give access to any tile improvements. I have been folowing the two tile rule and Barbs still spawn where they shouldn't occasionally. Any suggestions? Maybe my build order is flawed. I usually either build a worker, warrior to size 2, settler, finish warrior, then fogbusters OR Worker + fogbusters until I reach happy cap, then Settlers/Workers.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I usually go worker then warriors until I have most of my surroundings completely locking spawns out. Some maps are harder/easier than others for using only warriors.

Hopefully horse or copper turns up and makes life easier, but if it doesn't the island needs to be busted out (as you expand) before the barb axes start showing up, or you're screwed :/.

 

[smitsk00]

Do you pair your warriors or send them out in singles? How do you use the whip early? Thanx for all your advice.